Arctocebus calabarensis, also known as the Golden Potto or Calabar Angwantibo, is a very smart and interesting animal. Arctocebus calabarensis means a type of lemur. This creature can be a least concern when it comes to extinction, but people hardly know about this fascinating animal.

The Golden Potto is quite small. When they are born, they only weigh 26.1 grams! When they become an adult, they weigh about 257.5 grams and are 229 to 305 mm long. There fur has a mix of orange, yellow, and brown and above their nose is a white stripe. Their hands are made to be able to grip trees so they can climb into them for cover. A cool adaptation they have is that they know to rub its hands along a caterpillar to avoid throat irritation.

They usually eat insects such as ants, beetles, crickets, and moths. Very common to their diet are caterpillars. Like mentioned before, the potto will avoid irritation by removing hairs from it. When available, too, they will eat fruit. They do not compete other pottos for their food.

The Golden Potto lives mostly in Nigeria and Cameroon. Iuncredlist.org says they are “adapted to clearings in the forest and towards the forest edge.” They like the growth that comes from clearings, trees falls, and along the forest edges. They sleep in trees with foliage cover for protection.

The Golden Potto has a few predators. They are threatened by habitat clearings and by people who are hunting them for meat. Other predators are owls and diurnal birds. To hide from these predators, the potto stays in trees with cover foliage and will curl into a ball with its mouth open so if a predator comes, it can bite it instantly. Iuncredlist.org calls these animals “locally abundant”, because they are  not endangered or extinct.

What I learned about these creatures is that they are very smart. It is surprising that they know what to do to keep them alive. I thought that it was very interesting that they wipe down their food before they eat it. They are also very smart for being prepared for when unwanted predators come. It isn’t such a wonder there are many of them after all.

Author: Regan S.
Published: 2-15-11
 
Works Cited:
"Calabar Potto (Arctocebus Calabarensis)." The Primata (Primates: Prosimians, Monkeys, and Apes). 24 Mar. 2007. Web. 3 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.theprimata.com/arctocebus_calabarensis.html>.
"Longevity, Ageing, and Life History of Arctocebus Calabarensis." Human Ageing.
Genomic Resources. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. http://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Arctocebus_calabarensis.
Oates, J. F., and S. Bearder. "Arctocebus Calabarensis." Iuncredlist.org. 2008.
Web. 3 Feb. 2011. <http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/2054/0>.
Olson, Taryn. "ADW: Arctocebus Calabarensis: Information." Animal Diversity Web. 2003. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Arctocebus_calabarensis.html.
Photograph. www.cercopan.org. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.cer